


Let Me In

by VisionaryGalaxy



Series: A Thousand Futures of Me and You [98]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Arguing, Boys In Love, Domestic, Don't copy to another site, Drabble, Fluff and Angst, Kissing, M/M, Moving In Together, Protectiveness, Short & Sweet, figuring it out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-04-16
Packaged: 2020-01-15 02:54:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18489847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VisionaryGalaxy/pseuds/VisionaryGalaxy
Summary: There was a long drawn out moment of silence then Tony was setting the tech on the coffee table and sitting up, swinging his legs to settle on the floor as he leaned his elbows on his thighs, rubbing at his face which suddenly looked exhausted, “what did I do wrong?”Stephen’s eyes fell closed instinctively as pain reverberated through his heart, “nothing Tony. You haven’t done anything.”





	Let Me In

**Author's Note:**

> Basically a more angsty version of A Life With You

   Stephen sat curled up in his arm chair, large tome in his lap, the steady patter of rain filling the silence of the Sanctum, while his gaze remained steady on Tony. His lover was currently stretched out on the sofa of his living room, head propped up on a few cushions, glaring at the StarkPad in his hands.

   There was no reason for Stephen to feel anything but content, sitting here in a companionable lack of words and actions. Unfortunately, Stephen had been tense all morning and now it was reaching a crescendo, having spiked sharply that morning while Tony was on the phone speaking with Pepper regarding the company.

   This was Tony’s third day in the Sanctum, having spent the past two nights in Stephen’s bed and the days making himself scarce and working on his own paperwork and projects. It was arguably, the longest Tony had ever spent in one stint in Stephen’s home, negating the three-week healing process after Thanos.

   The problem was Stephen knew he was doing it on purpose. They had been together as something official for nearly eight months now, a healthy length of time for any normal couple to start considering moving in together, to taking the next step if you would, except they weren’t a normal couple and Tony didn’t seem to realize that.

   Stephen had thought this through with excruciating detail and he had (falsely) assumed Tony had done the same and come to a similar conclusion as him. There was no situation in which living together could ever work for a long list of reasons and he was struggling to figure out how exactly to explain that to Tony.

   But his main concern right then was getting Tony out.

   Pursing his lips, he tried to figure out how to approach the issue, how to make his suggestion seem organic. Finally, after a moment’s contemplation he decided to with a more…passive aggressive route, “I’m surprised you’ve been able to stay away from your workshop for so long.”

   Tony’s gaze flickered toward him, expression unreadable, “I’m working on schematics, can’t build anything until I’ve worked out the details.”

   Stephen’s sore fingers tapped against the worn pages on his lap, “when will they be done?”

   Tony looked back at the screen with a shrug, “not sure, plus I can always fiddle with the smaller mechanism here,” Tony offered a small smile. “Hey, I was thinking that tonight we could-”

   “I have a meeting at Kamar-Taj.”

   Tony didn’t miss a beat, “no worries, I can order take-out for when you get home.”

   Stephen stilled as that word slipped from Tony’s lips, said so casually, without a second thought or hesitation. He should feel elated to know the man considered the Sanctum his home, felt comfortable enough to wander its halls without a guide, left gadgets to tinker with on the dining table, had several suits stationed around for easy access, knew their take-out menu by heart.

   But he didn’t. Instead he just felt sick, like the walls were closing in on him, like he had somehow failed in the most basic of senses to make clear what should have been obvious lines in the sand and now he had to express them without alienating the man he loved.

   Stephen swallowed thickly, “Tony, I think you should spend tonight at the Tower or Compound.”

   It was impossible to miss the subtle flexing of his arms as his grip tightened on the StarkPad, the way he carefully kept his eyes trained on it, avoiding Stephen, “why’s that?”

   Stephen forced himself not to back down, “you know why.”

   There was a long drawn out moment of silence then Tony was setting the tech on the coffee table and sitting up, swinging his legs to settle on the floor as he leaned his elbows on his thighs, rubbing at his face which suddenly looked exhausted, “what did I do wrong?”

   Stephen’s eyes fell closed instinctively as pain reverberated through his heart, “nothing Tony. You haven’t done anything.”

   “I obviously did,” he found Tony’s eyes on him, practically glowing with barely concealed frustration. “I thought I was doing pretty well, kept out of your way while you worked, didn’t touch the relics, picked up after myself, didn’t annoy Wong or your visitors.”

   Stephen’s brow furrowed, “what are you talking about?”

   Tony shook his head, narrowing his eyes, “Stephen I’m trying here. I know we’ve been moving slowly but we’re ready and I’m just trying to prove that to you.”

   “You think I don’t want you to move in because I’m concerned, we won’t what? Get along?”

   “I don’t _know_ why.”

   Stephen was at a loss, couldn’t believe Tony would assume _that_ was Stephen’s major concern when there were so many more important reasons. He waved the book back to its shelf as he stood, making Tony look up at him and it broke his heart to see the glint of confusion and desperation there.

   Stephen took a steadying breath before going to sink down on the couch next to Tony, slipping a trembling hand in one of his, squeezing weakly, “I’m a practical man Tony. I love having you here, but you can’t stay.”

   Tony scowled, “why? I’m willing to leave my home to come here because I know you can’t leave yours. As far as I’m concerned the rest should be easy.”

   “Tony this isn’t just my home,” Stephen didn’t know how to explain this without offending his pride, but he hardly had a choice in his delivery. “This is also my place of work, a place where people come for help, a place where people come to kill me, to steal from me, to bring it to the ground.”

   Tony was nodding, “right, and I can _help_ you protect it.”

   “But you can’t.”

   Tony tensed, the frustration building in his eyes again, “is it some stupid rule of Kamar-Taj? because they can go-”

   “Tony,” Stephen interrupting, shifting so he could place his trembling palms on either side of his face, forcing the man to look at him. “you _can’t_. You are Iron Man; you’ve worked wonders with Nanotech and are brilliant enough to save the world on a multitude of occasions, but you’ve never dealt with magical threats like this.”

   Tony was looking at him with an intensity that was almost terrifying, “I’m willing to learn, to try if it means spending my time with you.”

   Stephen slumped, dropping his hands, “you don’t get it. It’s the threat if it. I live everyday waiting to be attacked or being needed, I can’t do my job if I’m always worried about you being hit in the crossfire.”

   Tony’s hands were gripping his again, voice shifting into a tone that was dancing on the edge of pleading, “I can take care of myself-”

   Stephen interrupted, needing him to understand, “do you know why the Cloak follows you around?”

    His lover blinked in confusion, shaking his head.

   “Because you wander off to the bathroom in the middle of the night without your suit bracelets, because your Nanotech isn’t fast or strong enough to evade certain spells and creatures, because you are helpless here and I can’t always watch over you.”

   “Stephen-”

   He squeezed his hands harshly despite the pain it sent thought the limbs, “Tony, I _want_ you here, I _want_ to wake up next to you every morning, I _want_ to argue over take-out, and know you are waiting for me at home,” he swallowed back the wave of emotion. “But that was never a realistic expectation for us. I can’t leave here, and you can’t stay for extended periods of time for both our sakes.”

   “Stephen,” Tony shifted so that suddenly he was on his knees in front of him, one hand coming up to sooth back Stephen’s hair, gaze having gone soft in a way that always made him melt. “I get that you want to protect me, really. But did you ever pause to think about the fact that it kills me just as much to imagine you here without me? Constantly fighting off forces while I have to be told about it at the end of the day? Risk or no risk, I’d rather be here, by your side, then waiting in an empty bed for the next time you deem it safe enough for me to see you.”

   “Its too dangerous.” Stephen tried to insist, even as he felt his resistance crumbling.

   “Most of my life is dangerous, but you’re right. I don’t know how to handle these kinds of threats…but I’m willing to learn.”

   Stephen stared at him in disbelief, “what?”

   He had the sense to look a little sheepish, “I asked Wong to teach me some tricks, simple things that my tech can’t accomplish.”

   Stephen shook his head, “but you hate magic.”

   “No,” he denied. “I just didn’t understand it. I’ve been reading up on it, listening to the conversations you’ve been having with others from Kamar-Taj and its all about energy, harnessing particles in the air toward a specific force. Kinda like an undiscovered element, just gotta look a little closer.” He shrugged, “I still trust my tech first and foremost, but I wanted to be prepared.”

   Stephen blinked, still trying to process his words when Tony leaned up suddenly, pressing a hard kiss to his lips. It was brief, nothing more then a reassurance, “I’m trying, I just need you to try too,” he murmured. “Let me in Stephen, that’s all I ask.”

   Stephen closed his eyes, trying to think about it reasonably. The fear was still there, that any second an attack might come, and Tony could get caught in it, but also the loss of something separate, of a reason to leave the goliath of the Sanctum. He brought his trembling hands up once more to grip Tony’s face, “compromise, if something happens and I tell you to leave you do it, no questions asked. You don’t stay here without me or Wong present, so if I’m away on extended trips you stay at the compound or Tower.”

   He saw his eyes swimming with doubt, preparing to demand more but Stephen couldn’t give it to him, it was that or nothing. Tony must have seen it in his own expression because after several minutes he gave a quiet sigh, a quick, sharp nod.

   Stephen kissed him instantly, smiling against his lips when Tony immediately responded by lifting up and pushing him back into the cushions, maneuvering them so he was straddling Stephen.

   “Thank you,” he whispered over and over again, as he ran kissed up his neck. “I’m going to install Friday which will help, I can be moved in by Sunday, definitely going to need more closet space,” he nipped at his throat and Stephen couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of him, as for the first time, tension slipped from his body.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think!


End file.
